Tatsuya and Haji were walking in the streets, to blend in with the crowd. There was no one chasing them, as Ria and Exwind's target was Yuto. But Tatsuya was afraid of not gaining Yuto's trust, so he took every precaution.
— Hey lad, where are we going?
— I don't know.
— What do you mean you do not know? What if we run into those people again?
— We're a long way from them, and they're not after us.
Haji was uncomfortable holding that suspicious man's hand, but at the same time safe. He looked strong, so she decided to ask:
— What is your power?
— My power? Oh yeah, I forgot I had one. I would say if I remembered.
— Don't you even remember your own power? You are weird.
Tatsuya seemed to move a little faster than Haji, and that bothered her:
— Young man, why do you keep accelerating the step out of nowhere?
— What? I'm walking at the same speed as you. By the way, why does everyone stop talking for a few milliseconds?
— I don't know what you're talking about. There are so many people talking at once that there is never a moment of silence.
Tatsuya stopped, as if he had realized something important. He looked at Haji and asked:
— What did you just say?
— What? I said this crowd makes a lot of noise.
— Not that, the other thing.
— I don't know what you mean by that. You are very strange, young man. By the way, looking closely, I just realized you don't blink.
— I don't blink? But I'm doing it now.
— Stop lying. You have to blink frequently, or your eyes will get dehydrated. That must be why you need glasses.
Tatsuya didn't understand that conversation. It seemed they were seeing different things.
He looked ahead and saw a scene typical of any big city: a child was being pulled into an alley, probably to be assaulted.
He let go of Haji's hand and ran into the alley. He saw two men who looked dangerous, holding the child by force. They saw Tatsuya, and shouted:
— What do you want, bastard?! Get out of here now or you will suffer the same fate as this child.
— Who do you think you're talking to?
— Why, I'm talking to a rich guy, of course. Wait, I'm actually glad you came to us. This saves us the effort of asking for this child's ransom. You must be worth a lot more than his father.
The two men released the child and picked up their knives. They went after Tatsuya. But he suddenly disappeared. He had already passed them by without their noticing.
One had its head separated from its body. And the other had his neck twisted back, seeing Tatsuya from behind. He died soon after.
— So that's my power...
Yuto, Ria and Exwind went to Kiseki's clinic. The match was already over, so she went where she could help more people. Noticing the three coming, she said:
— Eh… What happened? Why is this young man hurt?
Exwind replied:
— It's a long story. We ended up getting a little rough on him, so could you please heal him?
— O-Of course! That is my job. Thanks for bringing him to me.
Kiseki approached Yuto and healed him. The pain completely disappeared in a few seconds. And he still felt a great well-being. His slightly crooked spine due to his life as a gamer was also straightened.
— Thank you very much, Kiseki-san.
— It's nothing, I'm very happy to help. And you can call me Kiseki-chan if you like.
— Right…
Kiseki was a maid, nurse and a very kind person. Her power perfectly matched her personality. She always tried to help as many people as possible, and loved her job.
Her power was called Healing, but she could also fix broken objects or return them to their original state. She could do the same with dying people, but not revive them. In addition, it nullified all kinds of discomfort and brought any positive effect to the patient's body and mind.
Yuto, in awe of the girl's purity and innocence, said:
— You really are a miracle, Kiseki-chan.
Yuto, Exwind and Ria returned to the harbor they were in. They went to lunch at an italian restaurant nearby, overlooking the sea.
They sat at a table, and the first to speak was Ria:
— I may have agreed to this, but know that I don't regret a thing I did.
— Okay, I'm a wanted criminal, so I should expect people to hunt me down.
— I think you misunderstood, Ishikawa-san. We just wanted to interrogate you. If we were the first to capture you, we'd have all the information you could offer us.
— You only see me as a product, then.
Exwind tried to smooth over the conversation:
— Calm down, it's nothing like that. We can become friends. Isn't it, Ria?
— I would never become friends with someone like him.
— But our interests are the same. The three of us hate the association, and we want to overthrow it.
Yuto, surprised, asked:
— What? Do you plan to attack the association?
— Yes. Which is why we're having this conversation. We didn't really want to arrest or capture you. Our goal was to make sure you were trustworthy.
— And I passed the test?
— Of course-
Exwind was interrupted by Ria, who looked uncomfortable with the sudden friendship:
— -not! I'm not going to trust someone I've just met, let alone work with.
— Oh, come on, Ria. You have to stop this habit of distrusting everyone.
— But I trust you, Tetsushi.
— I know, but I shouldn't be the only one.
Ria's cell phone received a notification. She took it and saw that it was an urgent mission.
On the opposite side of the street from the alley, a person was watching Tatsuya's double murder. She was on the first floor of a building, looking out the window of a dark, dimly lit room.
Only sunlight came into the room, but a curtain covered most of the window. The room had the smell of an aphrodisiac. A woman was standing, peering through the gap in the curtain.
She was blonde and had her hair tied back. She was a middle-aged woman with dark circles under her eyes. She used a typical spa towel and was smoking a pipe.
A man in a suit was sitting on the sofa behind her. Without looking at him, the woman said:
— You can go now. I finally found who I was looking for so long.
— What? Are you saying I didn't satisfy you enough? It was to be expected from a whore like you.
The man got up and left. The woman was not offended by the curse, as she was very focused on the scene she had seen. Her eyes lit up after a long time.
— I finally found the man of my dreams!
The woman took her cell phone off the table behind her. She opened the association's app and requested an urgent mission.
It specified that the quest would require one hero from each tier from 1 to 5, and three from 6, but none from 7.
Tatsuya walked straight ahead into the alley. He came to a back door of one of the buildings there. It was an abandoned building, and it was in the center of the block. Its only access were the alleys that led to it.
He entered, hoping not to find anyone. The ground floor had a large staircase in the center, which led to the first floor. He was about to climb it, when a cry could be heard:
— Hey, I've never seen you here. Have you come to buy something?
— It depends, what kind of things do you sell?
— How did you get here without knowing what this place was? You must have passed my men in the alley.
— Of course I passed them. But they didn't tell me anything about this place. Just tell me what you sell.
— Okay, whatever, money is money. We have children, slaves, drugs, weapons, everything you won't find anywhere else, for the best prices! But don't even think about talking about this place to the police.
— Relax, I won't need it.
Tatsuya looked at the person who was speaking. He was a fat, muscular man, bald and black. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt, which looked expensive. He was sitting on a throne just beyond the stairs leading to the first floor, like a king.
There were many other thugs surrounding him and scattered all over the first floor, looking down at Tatsuya who was on the ground floor. They had different appearances, such as mohawks, jackets and bracelets, probably all stolen.
— Hey, what do you mean you won't need the police? If you're not going to buy or sell anything, get out. I know your type, you try to be a hero and die in the end. Not that this is a problem for us, we just make more money doing it.
Tatsuya didn't move. But all the bandits except the leader were beheaded. Surprised and a bit scared, their boss exclaimed:
— What did you do?! A-Actually, this is not a big deal. They don't even compare to me, I'm much stronger.
— Really? Why don't you try punching me?
Tatsuya walked up the stairs and stopped in front of the man, challenging him.
— Don't fucking underestimate me. I'm going to wipe that smile off your goddamn face.
The leader didn't seem to have any power. He just used his brute strength to deliver the blow. He was much bigger than Tatsuya, so a straight punch could knock him out instantly.
Surprisingly, the man's fist returned to his own face, piercing it. That force, even reflected, would not be enough to pierce a head. But it happened for some reason.
Tatsuya continued to stand still, watching the leader's corpse. He spat on him, saying:
— I'm far from being an hero. But even I have decency.
Ria accepted the urgent mission. She said goodbye to Exwind and Yuto, running to the place. It was quite far from there, so it took her a few tens of minutes, even running at top speed.
One of her powers was Empowering Ammo. As the name implies, it could turn any firearm ammunition into a kind of buff. If she fired this bullet at someone, some physical or mental aspect of her choosing would be temporarily enhanced.
But she decided to use a minimal speed boost effect. If she used one that was too strong, she could lose control and run over people in her path.
When she was arriving at the place, she passed by a strange figure that was walking in the opposite direction. He had a murderous aura and wore a blue suit. She stopped and looked back, realizing something or someone was familiar. But she saw nobody of interest.
When she arrived, she saw several heroes waiting in place. She was the last to arrive. Probably because it was too far away. She recognized a person who was there.
— Kiseki-chan, were you also called for the urgent mission?
— R-Ria-san, are you here too? Sorry, I didn't realize...
— Why are you apologizing? And you didn't answer my question.
— Oh, sorry! Yes, I came running when I got the notification…
Ria looked at the people who were there, and asked their level. There were only two people who catched her eye. One was a level 5 red-haired very stylish man. He looked like a manga protagonist. The other was a blonde woman with blue eyes who wore heavy armor, a shield and a longsword. She knelt down.
— I am level 6. It's a pleasure meeting you in person, Ria-sama.
— Why all this formality? We are on the same level.
— You are the strongest of the level. I am among the weakest. And I am aware of all your achievements. You are on another level.
— But you also worked hard to get here. You don't have to treat others on the same level as you submissively.
— Understood! Your will is an order!
— It was meant to be just advice, not an order…
Ria remembered why she was there:
— Where is the person who requested this mission? And why are we in an alley?
No one knew the answer, and they were also trying to find out. The level 4 of the group approached Ria.
It was a girl about 15 years old. She had short black and green hair and green eyes. She wore a green T-shirt that didn't cover her belly, a black jacket, and a black and green striped scarf. She asked:
— Do you want me to track where the signal came from? My power allows me to control any electronic device, so finding the cell phone that was used is easy.
— That would help a lot. What is your name?
— Shikano Reisa, but you can call me Disruptor.
Disruptor took out her cell phone and tracked where the mission signal came from. She turned back and pointed to the first floor of a building across the street from the alley. The curtain was closed, so they couldn't see if anyone was inside. Ria said:
— Thank you very much, Disruptor. Since that urgent call was obviously a scam, I'm going to have a little talk with the person who requested it.
Kiseki was shaking, more nervous than usual.
— W-Wait, Ria-san… I can go in your place…
— But why, Kiseki-chan?
— Well, it's just… I want to help this person…
— You want to help someone who pranked all of us?
— Y-Yes… I feel like she did this for a reason, so I need to understand her.
Ria sighed, not liking the idea.
— Are you sure you can do it, Kiseki-chan? There are people in this world who don't change even with the greatest kindness.
— I'm not sure, but I want to try.
— Alright. I'm going to investigate this alley further in case I find any clues.
— T-Thanks!
Kiseki entered the building where the scammer was. Disruptor accompanied her, to guide the stealthiest path. They climbed the stairs that led to the first floor.
— Kiseki, this is the room where the signal came from.
— Thank you, Disruptor-san.
— You don't need that "-san", you're two levels above me.
— Oh, sorry…
— You don't need to say sorry. Are you sure you'll be all right if you try to talk to her yourself?
— I think I can. I will do my best.
Disruptor looked at Kiseki worriedly, but believed her words and left. Kiseki turned towards the door and took a deep breath:
— Right… It's all up to me now. I can't go back.
Kiseki gently knocked on the door three times. There was no answer. She decided to call the person inside:
— Excuse me… Is anyone there? I just want to talk, if it's not too much trouble...
The door opened, but there was no one on the other side. She decided to enter:
— I-I'm coming in, if you don't mind.
When she walked through the door, her mouth was covered so she couldn't scream and her neck pressed. She quickly lost consciousness.
Ria continued down the alley until she reached the abandoned building. She went in, and the ground floor was reeked of blood. She saw several corpses of bandits.
But what surprised her was that there were more people there: professionals investigating what had happened here. Surprised, Ria asked a man who seemed to be in charge of the case:
— Would you mind telling me what happened here?
— What is a child doing here? It's dangerous, so get out already!
One of his subordinates got scared and ran to the boss. He whispered in his ear:
— She is Ria, the first level 6!
— And? She still has her whole life ahead, she can't watch this kind of thing. Now get back to work.
Even though they were speaking quietly, Ria knew what the conversation was about.
— If you're worried about my mental health, you're wasting your time. I've seen much worse scenes.
The boss remained firm in his decision. But Ria insisted:
— Now, can someone tell me why no one informed me of this case? The police are under my control. Every investigation should be too.
The man finally gave in, displeased:
— Okay, you won. One person contacted the police at the last minute, and just said, "How do you miss something like this?" and hung up. Since he used a cell phone from the corpses, we didn't find out who he was. But we tracked the signal and came this far.
— When I got to the alley, all the heroes called were already there. And none of them said they saw a bunch of cops coming here. Which means you got there before them. Is this some kind of competition?
The man showed no regret, no fear. He just stood there, staring down at the girl. Ria congratulated him ironically:
— I admire your courage, officer. What you've done is an act of insubordination, and I could take you out now and take over the case. But the more people investigating, the more things we discover.
Ria came to a random subordinate and asked:
— Could you tell me what you've discovered so far?"
The man looked at the boss, who just nodded his head.
— All deaths were caused by decapitation, except for their leader. The cut region is much hotter than the rest of the body, which means that the weapon used was a blade that can probably melt metals.
— Can you tell me when they died?
— Approximately 30 minutes ago, judging by body temperature.
— But this is just one corpse. And the others?
— Everyone has the same temperature. So they probably died at the same time.
— At the same time…?
Ria thought about who the killer might be. To call the police after committing a crime and still blame them would have to be pretty brave.
A blade hot enough to burn metal. It echoed in her head. It was not uncommon to have such weapons in the association. Most of them were energy swords.
But they used to be dangerous and difficult to use. Killing dozens of bandits that quickly was not an easy thing to do. Either the sword was big enough to hit everyone at once, or the wielder was just too fast.
What intrigued Ria was that the killer wasn't simply quick. They were instantaneous. No matter how fast they were, there would be time difference between each kill. But they were all simultaneous. Except for the leader.
— How did their leader die?
— His fist went through his own face. He didn't have any power, nor enough brute strength to go through a body with just one punch.
Ria started to feel scared. For a long time, she only imposed fear on people. She had already forgotten how it felt.
— Looks like we're dealing with someone more dangerous than I thought...
The boss commented:
— That's why you should walk away from this case! You're just a little girl, and you don't need to be involved in that kind of darkness.
— Do not worry about me. By the way, I was going to ask you to lend me the control of this investigation.
— No way I'll do something like that. This mission is under my control! I don't need a child giving orders to adults.
Ria approached the man. She looked him in the eyes. The boss shuddered for the first time. He wasn't seeing any child. Those eyes really had seen a lot worse. Afraid, he just ceded the command of the mission to her.
— Tch, don't think you beat me, brat! I will remove myself from this case, and you command my subordinates. But I am against this supremacy of heroes. The police risk their lives far more than you do, and they don't get recognized enough...
The man left the building.
Ria composed herself. She remembered something very important that for some reason she had forgotten: Kiseki. As they had worked together for a long time, she knew her very well.
— Damn… Why did I think it would be a good idea to leave her alone for more than a second?
Ria just ordered everyone to continue the investigation and collect as many clues as possible, and deliver them to a trusted subordinate of hers.
She reached the street.
— If I'm not mistaken, the signal came from that apartment.
She ran to the building, climbed the ladder and leaned against the bedroom door holding one of the revolvers in both hands. She heard two voices: one from Kiseki, desperate, and another unknown. It didn't seem to come from a healthy person.
Without hesitation, she kicked the door and broke it down. The unknown person was already in sight, sitting on a sofa facing the corridor that led to the door.
The person was a middle-aged, blonde woman with dark circles under her eyes. She used a spa towel as clothing. She was startled by the unexpected visit.
Ria walked in, resenting the aphrodisiac smell. She approached the woman slowly, who, desperate, took a pistol and discharged its magazine in the threat.
All the bullets were deflected in different directions. One of them grazed the woman's left ear, and landed on the back wall.
It was Ria's defensive power: a barrier that reflected any object lighter than her coming at a speed greater than 1 m/s. The object returned in the opposite direction at half the original speed. If it was heavier than her body, she was pushed back instead, also at half speed. The barrier did not cover the underfoot.
— You're very lucky that bullet didn't go through your head.
Ria approached the woman and struck her in the neck, knocking her out immediately. She saw Kiseki, who was also sitting on the sofa, to the left.
She was tied to ropes and had a tape covering her mouth. Ria took the tape off first, and asked, with an air of disappointment:
— What are you doing…?
— S-Sorry! I couldn't convince her!
— I'm not talking about that. You have a 6-Up, and could have simply torn the ropes. By the way, how did you end up in this situation against someone so weak?
— Eh…?
Kiseki had a confused look on her face, as if she hadn't noticed it before.
— Aren't you going to tell me you didn't think of that…?"
— Sorry! I faint very easily when I'm startled, and I wanted to gain her trust so I couldn't fight back...
— That's something someone who's been violated their entire life would say.
— Sorry!
Ria untied Kiseki. Sitting down, they waited for the woman to wake up. When she woke up, she tried to attack Ria again, with the same pistol. But it was out of ammo, so nothing happened. She tried to run away, but Ria fired a warning shot, which narrowly missed her nose.
— We're here to talk. If you don't want to, I'll finish you here and now.
— Fuck off! I know that when this is all over, you'll kill me anyway!
— It's your choice…
The woman calmed down, and sat in the same place as before. Ria nodded her head for Kiseki to start the conversation.
— L-Lady… If you don't mind, could you tell us why you called us for this urgent mission?
— Hmph! As if I were to say...
The woman looked at Ria, who was staring at her. She shuddered, and decided to answer:
— W-Well… I found the love of my life…
Ria was impatient, and repressed her:
— Stop bullshitting us. Just tell us why you made us waste so much time.
The woman shuddered again. Stuttering, she replied:
— B-But it's t-true! He s-seemed to be strong when he killed those two men in the alley, so I wanted to test him with this quest!
Ria calmed down, and let Kiseki continue the conversation:
— But, lass... There was no dead man in the alley.
— This is another indication that he is strong! I didn't even see when he took out the corpses, even though I was watching the whole scene!
— But that still doesn't explain why you needed three level 6's and one of each level below…
— I thought he could defeat the other levels easily. So, if he managed to defeat three level 6's, he could easily be one of the top 7 strongest.
Ria interrupted the conversation again:
— So you sent us to die?
— I-It's not like that! I just wanted to see how strong my beloved was!
— It means the same thing. And what interested you so much about him?
— He's beautiful! Even looking at him from afar, I could see that everyone I paid to sleep with me was worthless. He was on another level!
— Could you describe his appearance to me? This is important, especially for me.
— You want to steal him from me? Of course I'm not going to-
— Speak soon… Before I lose my temper.
— O-Okay! He was wearing a dark blue suit, light blue tie, had dark blue hair and wore glasses, I think. I've seen him more from the back so I'm not sure what he looked like from the front.
Ria knew she had seen that figure somewhere, but she couldn't remember. It was the best lead she had on the killer in the abandoned building.
— Anything else?
— Oh, I forgot to mention: when he passed the two delinquents in the alley, he glanced at the watch on his left wrist. I think that's all.
— Thank you very much. It helps me a lot in the investigation.
Ria got up. Kiseki was surprised and asked:
— A-Are you going somewhere, Ria-san?
— You don't need that "-san", we've known each other for a long time. This conversation interested me because of an investigation I'm leading. You can talk about whatever you want now, I won't interfere anymore.
— Right…
— And don't forget, Kiseki-chan: if this woman hurts you again, you don't need to have mercy. You can defend yourself without me.
— Understood!
Ria left the apartment, and contacted her subordinate in charge of the investigation.
Kiseki and the mysterious woman began to talk more freely without Ria's overwhelming presence. They were much closer in a few minutes of conversation.
— What's your name, lady?
— Himiko Tsuna, but you can just call me just Tsuna.
— A-Are you sure? Isn't that very intimate?
— Of course I am! We're already friends, and I trust you more than anyone else, even if we just met today.
— Thank you, Tsuna!
— You know, you saved me from prostitution. Until today, I was obsessed with looking for a man to match me. And only the one in the blue suit caught my eye, but he was gone before I knew it.
— It's not that much... I just did what anyone else would do...
— That's simply not true, Kiseki-chan. Now I understand why your name: you are a miracle. You have the power to change people. Your parents must be proud!
— My parents…?
Kiseki froze for some reason. She was in her mind, trying to remember her parents. But she couldn't, so her head started to hurt.
— K-Kiseki-chan?! Did something happen?
Kiseki didn't answer. She was too distracted to react to anything. The woman took her out of the room to see if she could find someone who could help her. Ria was still there, waiting against the wall. Tsuna said:
— I'm glad you're here! Kiseki-chan is not responding!
— What did you do to her?
— Nothing! We were just talking and she got like this...
— Okay, I believe you. Thanks for bringing her to me. I'll take care of her from now on.
— Thank you… Later, tell me if she got better…
— Alright.
Ria and Kiseki exited the building. Kiseki's legs were still moving, so she was able to walk normally. But her mind was not in her body. They continued walking on the sidewalk. Ria was staring at her and trying to strike up a conversation, but she wasn't responding.
Suddenly, Kiseki was pushed back and landed on the sidewalk. Her body also stopped responding, so she probably passed out from the impact.
Ria looked this way and that, but there was a crowd and no one seemed to have done it. A voice came from the front:
— This time we found the right brat. Why are there so many green haired girls in this country?
— I said that child's hair was lighter than the one we were looking for, Roberto. And she didn't even have purple eyes.
— Oh, come on, Jorge. You thought it was her too. And I lost my right arm for nothing.
It was the four brazilian delinquents again. They were approaching Kiseki, who was lying on the ground. Bruna said:
— But that's pretty suspicious. She was supposed to be a level 6. How did she faint with just one punch?
— Are you saying I am weak, Bruna?!
— I'm saying that either level 6 is weaker than we've been told, or something is wrong.
— We definitely got it right this time, don't worry. The Pope will be happy.
Ria exclaimed:
— Who are you?!
Only Bruna understood, and bent down to answer:
— Look, another child. If you don't mind, get out of here before we do something to you. We just need this girl, so we don't mean to hurt you.
Ria kneed Bruna in the stomach, who fell hard to the ground.
— Explain this at the police station.
Roberto, in response to the threat, grabbed a knife with his left arm, as his right arm had been amputated. It sliced through the air, but hit Ria's left eye, which began to bleed.
What? Did he pierce my barrier?
Then, Jorge raised his right hand and threw a harpoon at Kiseki's body, pulling her towards him. He started to run into an alley. Ria took her right revolver and shot him in the head, making him land on the sidewalk and release Kiseki.
Cleiton materialized a pistol and fired 14 times towards Ria, but all the bullets ricocheted. One of them hit Roberto's left leg, who lost his balance and knelt down. The last hit his own forehead.
Roberto got ready to punch the air, but Ria ran at him and kicked him hard enough to blow his head off, painting the sidewalk in blood.
While the fight was happening, Bruna tried to bear the pain and crawled to where Kiseki was. She touched her body and teleported to a sewer, under where they were.
— What the fuck! I didn't expect a child to be this strong! Why do we always come across enemies like this?
Bruna was starting to get tired, because of her power.
— Shit! I can't stay here much longer. Get out of there soon, you wretched girl!
Unable to hold it any longer, Bruna returned to the sidewalk where she had teleported. She was breathless and desperate again.
— C-Calm down! I can explain! Can't we solve this without violence?
Ria didn't answer. She simply shot her in the forehead.
After all the commotion, Ria went to Kiseki and tried to wake her up. Her body was no longer with the harpoon hole that hit her belly.
— Ria… What happened…?
— I will explain everything later. Could you cure these bandits? I immobilized them as a precaution. And the pedestrians who were injured by stray bullets.
Kiseki looked around and was astonished:
— What?! What happened while I was sleeping?